Operation:Ho-Ho-Ho
by Twisteddarkness225
Summary: After being hearing some unsettling news about Santa both at school and at home, Lincoln works with some of his sisters to keep the holiday magic alive for the Loud House. One-Shot.


Hello readers, this is Twisteddarkness225 here with my first ever Loud House fanfiction. After watching the show on a whim i fell in love with it and have been tossing around ideas for it ever since. Not too sure when or if I will get around to a multi-chapter story but I do have a few other ideas for one-shots that I can hopefully get around to writing and posting soon, so if you like this story feel free to keep an eye open for more. And constructive criticisms are always welcome. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Loud House and I make no profit from this story.

 **Operation:Ho-Ho-Ho**

A cold December wind blasted across the schoolyard. The sudden chill it brought made Lincoln Loud shiver, but only for a moment. He continued to make his way further from the school building, pausing to admire the sparkling white blanket of snow that now covered Royal Woods, Michigan. Several houses that lined the nearby streets had colorful lights and other holiday decorations on display, adding to the suburban neighborhood's beauty. Christmas was just around the corner and like many children, Lincoln was excitedly awaiting the holiday. Other students rushed past him, on their way home after school let out early that Friday December the twenty-third. Lincoln stepped aside to let them pass. He was eager to get home as well, but he would first wait for Clyde who was volunteering to help their teacher carry a few things to her car. So while he waited, Lincoln passed the time with a little hobby that he enjoyed.

"Christmas is less than two days away, as you can see." he began his monologue. "School let out early today at noon for the start of winter vacation and come Sunday morning, everyone in my house will be sitting around the living room enjoying the many gifts we'll have opened. Last year I got a subscription to the 'Ace Savvy' comic book and I just can't wait to see what Santa brings me this year!"

The sound of laughter caught Lincoln's attention. When he turned to face its source he found his classmate Chandler standing not too far behind him. The boy's laughter was mocking and Lincoln could tell that it was at his expense. Luckily he had learned how to tolerate such treatment over the years thanks to his sisters. But that didn't change the fact that he still found it quite annoying.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"You are, Loud! Not only were you talking to yourself like a total weirdo, but you also just admitted to believing in Santa? Are you for real?"

"So?" Lincoln said defensively. "Lots of kids believe in Santa!"

"Yeah, preschoolers and kindergarteners! Grow up already dude, it's pathetic!"

Lincoln opened his mouth to reply but didn't get the chance. A snowball suddenly struck Chandler in the head, catching both boys by surprise. Then a second snowball just as suddenly followed the first and found its mark just as easily. Chandler angrily wiped the remains of the frozen projectile from his face and turned to face his assailant, one Ronnie-Anne Santiago. She was holding another snowball in her hand, ready to let it fly.

"Back off." She warned, raising the snowball wielding hand threateningly.

Chandler locked eyes with Ronnie-Anne, but in the end didn't say or do anything to provoke her. He was well aware of her reputation and knew that messing with her would undoubtedly come back to bite him. Lincoln could speak from experience with what Ronnie-Anne was capable of, and she liked Lincoln. One could only imagine what she would do to someone that she didn't like. So instead of testing his luck, Chandler opted to stuff his hands into his coat pockets and then start walking away.

"Whatever. I've got better things to do than waste my time here anyway. Do your loser boyfriend a favor and help him get a grip on reality. He still thinks that fairy tales exist. Help him understand what's actually real, would ya? Later."

Ronnie-Anne clenched her teeth angrily at hearing Chandler's words. She watched him turn and start walking away with narrowed eyes. The urge to fling the snowball at the back of his head rose up, but she ignored it. She had accomplished what she had set out to do and Chandler was leaving Lincoln alone now. And while the other boy had gotten a jab in at Lincoln before he left, Ronnie-Anne wasn't leaving it at that. She'd have the last word, albeit one that she muttered under her breath.

"Loser boyfriend? Lincoln might be a loser, but at least he had someone to kiss under the mistletoe, you jerk."

"What was that Ronnie-Anne?" Lincoln asked.

"Nothing!" Ronnie-Anne answered, a nervous smile on her face as she turned to face him. "So...want to walk home together?"

Lincoln nodded but mentioned that he was waiting for Clyde. Ronnie-Anne waited with him for Clyde to arrive and then the three set off together. They chose to detour for a littl bit to admire the many deorated homes as they walked. But despite how nice it was to enjoy all of the festive scenery, Lincoln's mind kept wandering back to when Chandler had heckled him earlier. The way he had blatantly called out Lincoln for his belief in Santa had struck a nerve. Even his five older sisters never made fun of him for his belief in Santa Claus. And he knew that if there was ever a reason to make fun of him, any of his sisters would take the opportunity without a moment's hesitation. So by Lincoln's reasoning, if believing that Santa existed were something that he could be made fun of for, then his sisters would make fun of him. But not once had any such thing happened. It only made sense to Lincoln that the reason for this was because his sisters also believed in Santa. But did that mean that Santa was real? Or were his sisters caught up in the same 'fairy tale' as Chandler had put it? Lincoln's train of thought continued on like this and it soon weighed heavily in his mind. So mcuh so that he was completely unaware of Clyde trying to gain his attention.

"Lincoln? Hey buddy, you in there? Earth to Lincoln, come in Lincoln."

"I've got this." Ronnie-Anne said just before punching Lincoln's arm.

"OW! What was that for?" asked Lincoln as he reached up to rub the now sore appendage.

"You spaced out on us there buddy." Clyde replied. "You feeling okay?"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine."

"No. You're not." Ronnie-Anne cut in. "You're thinking about what that jerk Chandler said to you earlier, aren't you?"

Lincoln nodded. "Yeah, a little. Sorry Clyde, I just didn't want to bum you out so close to Christmas. Chandler was sort of making fun of me because I believe in Santa."

"He really did that? Why doesn't he just go ahead and make fun of people who believe in true love while he's at it?" Clyde scoffed. "Sorry to hear that buddy. Don't let it get to you though. No one has the right to judge you for what you believe. My Nana says that anyone who does is just a shallow person at heart. And speaking of my Nana, my dads and I will be staying over her house this year and I'll be helping her bake. How about I bring you back a plate of her gluten-free desserts? I can bring you some too Ronnie-Anne."

"Sure. But do me a favor and don't give me any cookies. One of my great-aunts always makes us tons of them. If anything I should make a plate for you."

"That would be great! Thanks Ronnie-Anne, how about we swap them on Monday?"

"Sounds good to me."

Clyde slowe his pace down a bit, turning slightly as they neared a street corner. He waved at Lincoln and Ronnie-Anne before beginning to head down the other street.

"Well this is my street. I'll see you Monday, Merry Christmas you love birds."

Ronnie-Anne and Lincoln both blushed simultaneously at the sudden comment from the bespectacled boy. He chuckled at their reaction and then made his way towards home. Once he had gotten a fair distance away from them, Ronnie-Anne turned to look at Lincoln and smiled a little as she found him still blushing. She took his hand in her own and the two continued their walk. After spending thirty minutes or so of just wandering the streets and enjoying the scenery, they finally made their way to Lincoln's house.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to walk you to your house?" Lincoln asked.

"I'll be fine. I can take care of myself you know. Besides, your house is closer so it just makes more sense. Anyway, since it's almost Christmas, I got you something."

Ronnie-Anne took out a plain, white envelope and held it out to Lincoln. He accepted it and opened it up, finding a slip of paper inside. When he took it out, his eyes widened in surprise.

"This is a token voucher for Gus' Games n' Grub! I didn't even know they had these!"

"Yup. That one is good for fifty tokens. Merry Christmas Lame-O."

"Thanks Ronnie-Anne. It's kind of funny that you got me this. I was actually wondering if you'd like to go to Gus' Games n' Grub after Christmas. My treat."

"Lincoln Loud." Ronnie-Anne said teasingly. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

The white haired boy blushed in response. He smiled nervously and nodded, barely able to maintain eye contact with her. She took a moment to savor the sight. Lincoln could be pretty cute whe he was acting shy, in her opinion. Seeing him like this just gave her the urge to tease him. An urge that she was always willing to give into.

"I don't know. I'm a little out of your league. Plus I have plenty of better things to do. Why should I waste any of my time with you?" she asked teasingly while reaching out to playfully flick his nose.

"Oh ha-ha. Very funny. So is that a yes?"

"Of course. But there is one condition. You are not to give me so much as a single token while we are there. It would be like I'm asking you to return the ones I just gave you. But feel free to buy me pizza, soda, some garlic knots and..." she trailed off for a moment, blushing. "And it would be nice if you would walk me home afterwards."

"Sounds like a plan." Lincoln nodded. "So, it's a date?"

"It's a date." Ronnie-Anne echoed. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face and she looked over at the Loud household. Her gaze went across the various decorations in the yard and the outside of the house, to the decorated tree visible through the living room window. Inside Ronnie-Anne could see more holiday decorations as well as some of the house's occupants. A smile tugged at her lips as she returned her attention to Lincoln.

"Well, it's time for me to be heading home too. But before I go, hug?"

Ronnie-Anne held out her arms. Lincoln smiled and stepped forward with his own arms out. They embraced in what was a tender, albeit quickly interupted moment. No sooner had the two embraced than did Lincoln hear lout squeals of elation. He turned to face its source and saw all five of his older sisters watching them from the living room window. Their eyes were shining with excitement and they each had a smile that spread from one ear to the other. Lincoln looked back to Ronnie-Anne, who had a slightly guilty expression on her face.

"You knew that they were watching, didn't you?"

"Yup. Sorry, but I couldn't resist. But at least they won't tease you for this. See ya."

Ronnie-Anne turned and started to walk away. After only a couple steps she, acting on total impulse, suddenly turned and ran back to Lincoln, planting a chaste kiss on his cheek. A second round of squeals sounded from the Loud House, after which Ronnie-Anne whispered an apology to Lincoln before finally taking her leave. Lincoln waved as she left before leading towards the front door of his house.

"And time to brace for impact." he whispered to himself.

He opened the door and immedietely found himself being grabbed and pulled inside. His five older sisters began to talk all at once, praising him lovingly. they took turns hugging him and ruffling his snowy locks. Most kids Lincoln's age would have been overwhelmed, perhaps even frightened by what could only be described as an affectionate mobbing. But Lincoln was used to it and weathered the sister storm swirling around him.

"Way to go little bro!" Lynn cheered, punching his arm.

"We're proud of you Linc!" Luan said as she hugged him tight.

"You two were totes adorbs!" Leni cooed, pinching his cheek.

Luckily for Lincoln, he only needed to tolerate his older sisters fawning for a minute longer before they finally stopped. After that they went back to enjoying their own leisurely activities, such as reading magazines, filing their nails, and fighting over the TV remote. Lincoln took a seat next to Lori on the couch while Lynn flipped through the pages of her sports magazine and a threeway battle for the remote was carried out by Leni, Luna and Luan. Little did the three combatting sisters know that their eldest sister was secretely watching them while she tended to her nails. The moment that Luna successfully wrestled the remote from her older and younger sisters, Lori made her move. She stole it from the rocker and changed the channel to an old black and white movie that was just starting.

"DUDE! No fair, I had it!" Luna protested.

"Well next time try to keep it. Besides, I've been literally waiting all week to watch this." Lori retorted, ignoring Luna's sour look.

"What is it?" Lincoln asked.

"It's an old movie that mom and dad always watched with Leni and me when we were little. It's called 'Miracle on Twenty-Third Avenue'. It's about a lawyer who tries to prove that a mall Santa is actually the real Santa. They did a remake of it in the nineties, but I like the classic version better."

Lincoln was silent after Lori's explanation. He was suddenly reminded of Chandler's teasing and the question of Santa's existence came back to him. He looked at his oldest sister, debating in his mind whether or not to bring up the subject with her. Lori usually wasn't crazy about being pestered by her younger siblings, especially when she was doing something that she enjoyed. But Lincoln knew that she'd make the effort to help her siblings if it was something important. And this was important, at least to Lincoln it was.

"So, in the movie, they prove that he's the real Santa?"

"Way to figure out the obvious." Lori stated with good-humored sarcasm.

"Do you think that could be, I don't know, something that could happen in real life?"

"Why would you ask something like that?"

"Well, it's just..." Lincoln hesitated, nervous about asking the dreaded question. He noticed his other siblings staring at him and felt more self conscious about the matter. But still he proceeded. "It's just that, if Santa wasn't real, you'd tell me right?"

The room was completely quiet. An uncomfortable kind of quiet to Lincoln, who now saw that all five of his older sisters were exchanging uneasy glances with one another. Lori set down the remote and stood up. She looked down at her younger brother with a trace of sympathy in her eyes.

"It's better if you hear it from mom and dad. Let's go."

Lori took Lincoln's hand and led him downstairs to the basement where their mother and father were doing laundry. The moment the were out of sight, the other four Louds huddled together, worried looks on their faces.

"Dudes, Linc is starting to suspect!"

"I was hoping he wouldn't find out so soon!" Luan said. "Lynn only just found out after her last birthday!"

"Yeah, that was fun." Lynn deadpanned. "But Lincoln is going to definetely be upset!"

"Yeah, he's so sensitive!" Leni added.

"I think they're coming back upstairs, quick everyone act casual!" Luan instructed.

The sisters quickly seated themselves about the living room. Luna and Luan stared intently at the TV while a commercial advertised a discount sale on furniture. Lynn pretended to file her nails and Leni read Lynn's sports magazine, although she held it upside-down. They subtly watch from the corners of their eyes as their parents walked Lincoln towards their bedroom door. Lori followed but went towards the stairs, turning to face her parents and brother before ascending.

"I'll send Lucy down in a minute." She said.

"Thank you honey." her mother replied, going to follow the only Loud men into the master bedroom. The door was shut behind them and Lori began to head up the stairs. But before she could go more than two steps, she found her sisters rushing towards her, gawking at her with shocked expressions on their faces.

"Mom and Dad are telling Lucy too?!" Leni gasped.

"Great, just great." Lynn groaned. "Now she's gonna mope even more than usual!"

"Mom and Dad feel that she's mature enough to hear the truth." Lori explained. "Besides, we all know that Christmas isn't her favorite holiday with all the cheer and bright colors. So I doubt that she's going to make a big deal of it."

"Easy for you to say, you don't share a bedroom with her. I've had to since the twins were old enough for their own room!" Lynn argued back, crossing her arms just before her eyes widened with realization. "Uh-oh. I just remembered something. The twins are in Mom and Dad's room right now!"

"What? Why are they in there?" asked Luan.

"Lynn." Lori growled, her eyes narrowing accusingly at the jock.

"Okay, okay. So maybe Lucy didn't want to help me look for Christmas presents this year. So I had the twins help me instead. And I might have had them search our parent's room while I was keeping watch."

"So, if they're in there, how come Mom and Pops haven't made them leave yet?" Luna wondered out loud.

Lynn shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe they hid when they heard the door open. They probably snuck into the closet or under the bed."

"Then they're going to probably hear Mom and Dad tell Lincoln and Lucy the truth about Santa!" Luan whispered, as though she thought the twins could hear her.

"Lynn, get them out of there before I bring Lucy downstairs." Lore ordered.

"What am I supposed to do? Go to Mom and Dad and tell them I had the twins sneak around in their room? Nuh-uh, no way. I'm not getting in trouble the day before Christmas Eve."

"Well someone had better do something!" Luna said. "It's bad enough that Linc is gonna be bummed and that Lucy is gonna be even mopier than usual. But I don't want to see how upset those little dudettes are gonna be if they find out by accident!"

A small argument broke out among the five older sisters. Lori still demanded that Lynn take responsibility for sending their younger sisters into parental territory. Lynn stubbornly stood her ground, refusing to put herself at risk of getting in trouble with their mother and father. Luna sided with Lori, concerned more about the twins than Lynn's potential punishment. Luan found herself interposing the two sides of the argument. Meanwhile Leni was trying to gain the attention of her bickering siblings, but was ignored. Leni was never one to raise her voice in anger, even when she would be in the right to do so, but at that moment she was becoming very frustrated with her sisters.

"HEY!" She shouted, gaining the attention of her sisters. "Lori, you can go get Lucy. I have an idea on how to handle Mom and Dad."

Leni walked over to a spot that put her between the door to her parents' bedroom and the entrance to the kitchen. She took a deep breath while her sisters all watched her with curiosity. After a moment's pause, Leni let out a scream, startling all who had heard it. She screamed again and again, the door to her parents' bedroom flying open. Mrs. Loud hurried out into the living room, looking worried.

"What's going on?!"

"Spider!" Leni shrieked in reply. "SPIDER! It's in my hair! Get it out!"

Leni began to frantically claw at her hair for the non-existent arachnid. Rita tried to calm her daughter down, but the teen did her best to make it difficult. Lynn senior poked his head out of the bedroom to see, nervously biting his nails. Leni suddenly ran into the kitchen, a fresh shriek piercing through the air.

"It went down my dress! It's crawling on my back!"

Rita followed Leni, calling for her husband to assist. Mr. Loud hesitated but did as asked. Once they were both in the kitchen with Leni, Lori made Lynn fetch the twins while she went upstairs to get Lucy. In the next minute the twins were quickly evacuated from the parents' bedroom and taken upstairs. Then Mr. and Mrs. Loud walked a now much calmer Leni back into the living room and had her sit down. They took a moment to make sure that she'd be fine and then went to return to their bedroom just as Lucy was brought down by Lori. The young goth was brought into the bedroom to join her brother and the door was then shut.

An uneasy silence filled the living room, the television having been muted after the door had been shut behind Lucy. The minutes ticked by achingly slow. None of the five Loud sisters who were waiting could seem to rid themselves of the nerve-wracking discomfort that grew with each passing second. Then, at long last, their parents opened their bedroom door and Lincoln and Lucy stepped out, followed by their parents. Lincoln was clearly depressed while Lucy seemed completely indifferent. Although Lori, the oldest of the children, and Lynn, Lucy's roommate, could both tell that something was off with the poet's demeanor. Not that either could put it into words, but it was obvious to them that Lucy was upset as it was obvious to everyone that Lincoln was upset.

"I know that it's a bit of a shock honey, but you'd have to learn about it sooner or later. We're sorry that we couldn't find a better time to tell you. Try not to let it ruin the holiday for you." Rita told her only son, tenderly patting his head.

"I won't. And thanks for being honest with me." Lincoln said, letting out a soft sigh as he made his way to the stairs. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me."

Lincoln began heading upstairs slowly, his family members watching him with sympathy in their eyes. Rita and Lynn senior felt bad for him, but knew in their hearts that it was for the best. The other option would have been to tell him later, and taht would have meant either avoiding the subject now or to just flat out lie to him first. And neither of those options was appealing to the heads of the Loud household. But it still tugged at their heartstrings to see a loved one sad so close to the joyous holiday.

"I'm glad that's over with." Lynn senior said. "And on the plus side, it wasn't so bad to have to tell two of the kids at the same time. Lucy took it pretty well, didn't you honey?"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy replied in monotone. "I'm just as upset as Lincoln. Can't you tell?"

Rita and Lynn senior cast a nervous glance at each other. The goth's face remained expressionless, but she still managed to give off an air of gloominess that was evident to all who were present. After realizing that, yet again, her emotional obscurity had come into play, masking her hurt feelings, Lucy chose to just follow her older brother upstairs. But not without a final word on the matter.

"Sigh. At least I can use the devastation of my innocence as inspiration for a new poem. I think I'll call it 'Deception'."

Lucy climbed the stairs, leaving her parents with shocked expressions.

"Okay, ouch." Mr. Loud said. "Just...ouch."

"Oh, I feel terrible." Mrs. Loud admitted. "I wish we could do something to undo all of this."

A thoughtful look came to Lynn senior's face. "Hmm, maybe there is something. Let me make a couple phone calls."

Mr. Loud went into the master bedroom, his wife close behind him. The five Loud sisters in the living room had a small debate as to whether or not they should talk to their younger sister and brother but ultimately chose to let the two have a little space for the time being. They had both just been given a bitter pill to swallow and could use the alone time to adjust.

Meanwhile, upstairs Lincoln was about to enter his own room when the door to the nursery/lab (A.K.A. Lisa and Lily's room) opened and he was approached by the family's resident genius. She gestured for him to enter the room and once he had done so, she shut the door securely behind them.

"It has come to my attention that you had a discussion with our parental units just a short while ago." she stated matter-of-factly. "Given your age group and your gloomy disposition, I can deduce that Mother and Father divulged a certain truth to you. One involving a rather well-known holiday figure."

"You know about the truth about Santa too, huh?" Lincoln replied.

"Affirmative. I've been aware for quite some time now. Although our parentals had lengthy conversation about the secrecy of aforementioned truth. And while it was highly illogical of me to do so, I agreed to participate in the keeping of said secret. I have done so for good reason and since then, my reason has held fast as well as inspired me to go further than simply keeping a promise not to tell the truth."

"So...what you're saying is that you promised Mom and Dad that you wouldn't tell anyone about Santa and that you did it...for what reason?"

"Lily." the four year old stated simply. "I'm primarily doing this for her. Last year on Christmas day she was so happy. True she is a bit young to fully understand what is going on, but I love her dearly and it means so much to me to see her happy. So I have a plan that I wish to put into action tomorrow night. Can I count on you to assist me in this endeavor?"

Lincoln nodded, a determined look in his eyes. "You betcha!"

"Good. Now it is my understanding that Lucy was also brought in on the revelation. If that is the case then we should attempt to enlist her as soon as we see her next."

"I'm already here." came a monotone voice.

Lincoln and Lisa both jumped, their hearts beating erratically. Lisa turned to find Lucy behind her with Lily nestled in her arms. The infant giggled at the funny reactions her older brother and sister had made to Lucy's sudden appearance, clapping her small hands in amusement. Lucy set her baby sister down and Lily began toddling around the room. Lisa picked her up and set her down into her crib with assistance from Lincoln. Lisa then gave Lily her blankie, which the youngest Loud accepted with a squeal or pure delight.

"Aside of nearly scaring us out of our skins, what are you doing in here?" Lincoln asked.

"I came up the stairs just before Lisa shut the door. Lily wanted to come in, so I brought her in while you two were talking."

"I see." Lisa said. "So just how much of our conversation did you hear?"

"Pretty much all of it. And count me in. I might not be able to ever forget the soul-crushing reality that was revealed to me today, but that doesn't mean that I want my little sisters to suffer it yet. Despite that their time will come eventually, as it does for us all."

"You mean learning about Santa, right?" Lincoln asked.

"Of course I do. I just like making things sound dark."

Lincoln took a wary step away from Lucy and then turned to face Lisa.

"So what's the plan?"

"Phase one will be research." Lisa said, adjusting her glasses. "I'd never have thought I would say this, but it's fortuitous that you were both allowed to have early release from your educational facility today. This should grant us a sufficient time period to utilize. Lincoln, you'll be on visual observation research. You are to watch as many Christmas related movies and television shows as you can and record anything noteworthy about Santa."

"You got it!" Lincoln responded with a salute.

"Lucy." Lisa continued. "As a fellow literary enthusiast, I shall entrust you with researching any credible Christmas story books for additional Santa data."

"Not my genre of choice, but nevertheless it shall be done."

"Excellent. I meanwhile shall scour the internet for as much information on Santa Claus as I can find. Make sure to keep your notes organized and provide them to me before dinner tomorrow night. Any questions?"

Lucy and Lincoln both shook their heads briefly. They understood their objective perfectly and were ready to set to work Lisa dismissed her older siblings who went to their rooms to retrieve paper and writing implements. And as her older brother and sister were about to do their share of the research, Lisa took a moment to stand by Lily's crib, observing the baby girl was amusing herself with one of her stuffed animals, her beloved blankie in her other hand. The normally expressionless girl smiled, just a little, at the sight of her only younger sibling. She reached through the bars of the crib to affectionately brush her hand over Lily's cheek, gaining her attention.

"Lily." Lisa spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know that you are too young to comprehend a lot of what goes on around you. But I feel compelled to tell you this regardless. The project on which I am currently working isn't anything you'll be able to appreciate just yet. But one day when you've developed your motor skills and have become more articulate, I promise that it will provide you with a memory that you will cherish long after you've had to learn the truth like the rest of us."

The smallest Loud stood up, barely able to reach over the crib's side. She stared at her big sister, a big smile on her face. Then she lifted up her stuffed reindeer and threw it at Lisa, hitting the genius in the face and knocking her glasses askew. Lily giggled and clapped her hands, amused with herself. She playfully blew a raspberry while Lisa fixed her glasses and picked up the toy from the floor.

"Very funny." she commented, holding the toy reindeer out to her baby sister. "Count yourself lucky that you happen to be so endearing."

Lily accepted her reindeer back and let herself fall onto her diapered rear. She resumed playing with the stuffed toy, giggling occasionally. Lisa took a moment to adore her younger sister before turning and going to sit at her desk. There was much work to be done and only so much time in which is could be accomplished. Lucy, Lincoln, and herself had hardly more than a day for their research and then Lisa would put it all to good use. A small, confident smirk appeared on her face as she began to envision the ultimate goal of her endeavor. This fueled her with determination and she opened her laptop to begin her share of the work.

-X-MAS!-

"It's Christmas Eve, ten minutes past eleven o'clock." Lincoln monologued from inside of his room. "After hours of writing down tons of notes on Santa, Lucy and I reported to Lisa who shut herself in her room. She hasn't been out since except to briefly join us for our Christmas Eve dinner. She didn't even stay for dessert! I'm thinking that whatever she's working on is gonna be big!"

Lincoln, clad in his orange pajamas, left his room and knocked on the first door to his left. Lisa opened it for him after a moment and he entered. She held a finger up to her lips, using her other hand to point at Lily who was fast asleep. Lincoln nodded and began to tiptoe the rest of the way towards Lisa's desk. Sitting on top of the desk was a small, open vat of a vibrant, red substance. He was about to ask about it when he suddenly noticed something about his younger sister.

"Lisa, are you dressed as an elf?" he whispered.

"Affirmative." she whispered back.

What Lincoln had initially thought was Lisa's pajamas was actually an elf uniform, very much like the ones worn by the mall attendants who worked with mall-Santas. Lincoln also noticed that she was wearing fake elf ears over her own and that she even had a green elf hat with a jingle-bell at the tip sitting on the desk next to the vat of red...whatever it was.

"Any reason why you're dressed like an elf?" Lincoln queried.

"Contrary to popular belief I happen to enjoy dressing up. It's simply that I prefer to do so when the occasion calls for it. Now let's please focus on the task at hand. We are still waiting on Lucy."

A soft knock sounded at the door. Lisa answered and Lucy stepped inside. Like Lincoln, she was wearing her pajamas and she took care not to make a sound as she entered the room. Something that to her, was effortless. And as she joined her siblings, she noticed that they were staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"You knocked." Lisa stated. "That's unusually courteous of you."

"Yeah." Lincoln agreed. "Usually you just pop out of nowhere and scare the heck out of us!"

"And as fun as that is, I didn't want to do anything that might wake anyone up." Lucy explained, taking a brief glance at Lisa afterwards. "Nice outfit."

"I cannot tell if you meant that sincerely or sarcastically." said Lisa.

"Trust me, I meant it very sincerely." Lucy monotoned.

"Again, I cannot tell if that was sarcasm or not. Regardless, let's move onto why we are all here." She gestured to the vat on the desk. "Behold!"

Lincoln and Lucy looked at the vat containing it's odd, red substance. Then they turned to face Lisa, confusion on their faces.

"It looks like fruit punch." Lincoln said bluntly.

"It looks like fresh blood." Said Lucy, earning a sideways glance from both Lisa and Lincoln. "Well it does."

"Well you are both incorrect. This is a special get matrix that I composed early this morning. You cannot see them, but there are hundreds of thousands of nanobots withing the matrix. Each of the said nanobots is equipped with a hard-drive which contains the cumulative data that the three of us collected. Once activated, all of the nanobots will begin communicating with one another and they'll next manipulate the gel matrix, changing it's shape, colors and texture. By doing so, they shall create a Synthetic Santa Claus, or S.S.C. for short."

"And this will work?" Lincoln asked, somewhat incredulously.

"But of course. The S.S.C. will be fully aware of it's surroundings, fully capable of interaction with those surroundings and I've even entered some data about all of us for good measure. This will allow the S.S.C. to fool anyone in the house, even our mother and father, that it's the genuine article. See for yourselves."

Lisa took a handheld control panel off of her desk and flipped a small switch. The vat started to glow and to hum softly. After a minute, the gel inside began to undulate. It rose up out of the vat and arced onto the floor. It began to take the shape of a large human being. Then more distinguishing features began to form. A large belly protruded from the abdomen and a long beard of snowy whiskers grew from the chin as the round face's cheeks turned rosy red and the eyes lit up with the spark of life. Clothing began to define itself along the rest of the figure. For the most part it was all the same shade of red it had been all along, but white trimming appeared at the ends of the sleeves and pant legs, as well as the collar and hem of the coat. A red hat with white trim sprouted from atop the head and black mittens, boots and a belt all appeared. Gold buckles formed on the belt and the boots and then the last thing to happen was a large bulge emerged from the S.S.C.'s backside. It took the shape and color of a large, burlap sack which the S.S.C. gripped with it's right hand, completing the transformation into the jolly old elf.

"Any further questions Lincoln?" asked Lisa with confidence.

Lincoln shook his head, still in awe of what he had just witnessed. Satisfied with his reaction, Lisa once again opened the door to her bedroom, peeking out into the hallway before motioning for them to follow her out. Lincoln and Lucy went into the hallway, as did the S.S.C. The large figure moved with surprising swiftness and silence, bypassing the three children and heading downstairs. Lisa turned to address her older siblings, donning her elf hat.

"Alright, here's the plan. We give the S.S.C. a couple of minutes before the two of you wake up Lola and Lana. Tell them that something woke you up and that you saw Santa downstairs. Let them see the S.S.C. and then coax them to hurry back to bed. That way we can allow them visual 'proof' of Santa's existence without raising any suspicions."

"Right!" Lincoln said. "It's time for Operation: Use-a-fake-Santa-that-we-made-to-trick-our-sisters-into-thinking-that-it's-really-Santa-so-they-can-keep-believing-and-also-think-of-a-shorter-name-for-this-operation, to commence!"

"Lincoln." Lisa said with an exasperated sigh. "That name is as ridiculous as it is superfluous. The name of the operation is 'Ho-Ho-Ho' and that is final. Now go wake up Lola and Lana while I monitor from inside my bedroom."

Lucy and Lincoln nodded and then snuck into the twins' bedroom to gently rouse them from their slumber. Lisa reentered her own room, keeping the door open enough that she could peek through into the hall. A moment later, Lucy exited the twins' room, followed by Lincoln who was rubbing a bump on his head. He was followed by Lola, who was clearly not pleased at having her beauty sleep disturbed. And finally Lana walked out, letting out a big yawn as she scratched her rear.

"This had better be good Lincoln." Lola griped with her arms crossed. "I was having a really nice dream."

"Yeah and besides." Lana said, fighting back another yawn. "We shouldn't be up. Santa is gonna be here any time now."

"And that's where you're wrong." Lincoln said. "Santa is already here, look!"

Lincoln pointed downstairs at the S.S.C. which was crouched down by the tree. The twins both instantly forgot about everything else and just gaped at the sight that was in their living room. Before either Lincoln or Lucy knew what was happening, both the blondes had bolted downstairs and were excitedly watching the S.S.C. from a closer point of view. A panicked look came to Lincoln's face as he waved at Lisa to get her to join them. The young genius calmly shuffled over and offered her brother a small, yet reassuring smile.

"Don't worry Lincoln. I anticipated that they would do something like this. As a matter of fact, I was rather counting on it. Let's move downstairs to observe, shall we?"

The three Loud Children quietly crept downstairs, keeping out of sight of their siblings. Lisa touched a few keys on her control panel and then the S.S.C. froze for a moment before turning to find the twins watching it. It stood up and let out a warm chuckle before speaking to them with a voice that was both kind and caring, like that of a loving grandfather.

"Lola and Lana Loud, what are you two doing up so late? You should be fast asleep. How can you enjoy the presents I'm leaving you if you're too tired to keep your eyes open?"

"Y-you know our names?" Lana asked in shock.

"Of course! It's an important part of my job. Now I have a lot of work to do, so how about I escort you young ladies back to bed so you can rest up for all the fun you'll have tomorrow?"

Instead of complying with the request, the twins tackled the S.S.C. in a hug that made it fall backwards onto its rear. It let out a warm chuckle and wrapped an arm around each of them.

"Oh my! What a pleasant surprise! Thank you, it means so very much to know that my efforts are appreciated."

"Do you really have flying reindeer?" Lola asked excitedly.

"Yes I do, my dear. How else could my sleigh have flown onto your roof?"

"Did you really come down the chimney?" Lana asked next.

"I did! With the help of a little Christmas magic."

"Do you really live with elves?" Lola piped up.

"Yes, and they are as wonderful at being friends as they are at making toys." the S.S.C. answered as it stood up again. "Now I really must insist that you two get back to bed."

"Just one more question! Pretty please?" Lana begged.

"Very well, what else would you like to know, Lana?"

"How did you become Santa?"

"My, my, what an excellent question! It all started when I was very young. You see, I was orphaned as a baby and a family of toy-making elves adopted me..." the S.S.C. began before hesitating suddenly. "No, no that's not it. I was a toy-maker, living with my wife in a bleak little village...no, I was given the job by the previous Santa Claus who wanted to retire...No! It was my father. He passed the title of Santa down to me as his father did with him and like his father did with...I...I...I-I'm sorry. I-I-I must go."

The S.S.C. put Lola and Lana down before turning to leave. As it walked, it started to stumble a little. And to Lisa's discerning eye, it was starting to lose it's form. The four year old prodigy rushed down the remaining steps and zipped past her older sisters while attempting to resolve the issue with her control panel. Lucy and Lincoln followed, further adding to the confusion the twins were experiencing.

"What the heck is happening?!" Lola angrily demanded, only to receive no answer from any of them.

By this time, the S.S.C. had made its way into the kitchen and out the backdoor. It stumbled down the back steps and then collapsed into the snow. Then Lisa, Lucy and Lincoln all stepped out to find it just as its form convulsed violently, practically frothing, before it simply oozed out across the patch of snow-covered ground on which it had fallen.

"Dang it." Lisa muttered.

"Well that was terrifying." Lincoln commented.

"Yeah, could we see it again?" Lucy asked, getting a sour look from Lisa. "Or not. But why did it happen?"

"It would seem that some contradictions exist regarding the origins of Santa." Lisa answered. "I overlooked them while I was uploading our collective data earlier because I was so eager to finish. Somehow the S.S.C. discovered a paradox when it answered Lana's question and the result is as you see it before us."

Lisa let out a disappointed sigh and closed her eyes for a moment to silently pay respects to her fallen creation. Lincoln patted his younger sister's shoulder reassuringly and then the three went back inside. However the moment they had turned around they found themselves immediately confronted by their twin sisters with crossed arms and cross faces. The appearance of the two was so sudden that it actually startled the three, who all jumped and let out a cry of surprise.

"Okay, now I see why you guys don't like it when I do that." Lucy said, her heart racing.

"How long have you two been standing there?" Lincoln asked.

"Long enough to figure out what you three are up to." Lola replied.

"Yeah. You guys made a fake Santa?" Lana added. "Why the heck would you do that?"

Lucy and Lincoln shared an uneasy glance at one another, neither willing to answer. Lisa however stepped forward and offered her big sisters a sympathetic look.

"It's because there is no Santa Claus. I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that. But it's something that you would have to learn eventually."

Lisa allowed the twins a moment to take in what they had just heard. She expected them to be upset. That they would argue with her statement or simply accept it and cry. But the two just shook their heads slowly, at though they thought Lisa were joking and they were not at all amused.

"Okay brainiac." Lana began. "If Santa isn't real, then who is leaving us presents under the tree right now?"

"Beg your pardon?" Lisa asked, confused.

"Go into the living room and see for yourself." Lola said. "He arrived just after your science project went out back to die."

Lisa, Lincoln, and Lucy all followed the twins back into the living room. And just as the blondes had said, there was someone leaving gifts beneath the tree. Someone in a red suit with white trimming. Someone who looked almost exactly like the S.S.C. but his white whiskers weren't quite so long and his face not as round. And instead of the burlap sack the S.S.C. had been carrying, this man had a large red one, the same shade of red as his coat. He turned to face the group of children, smiling kindly as he spoke to them.

"Lincoln, Lucy, Lana, Lola and Lisa Loud. It's well past all of your bedtimes and you all know it. You should have all been asleep hours ago. Especially you Lisa. You may be very intelligent, but you still need to sleep just like any other child your age."

Lisa was stunned. Her mind was racing to try and understand what was going on. She happened to catch movement out of the corner of her eye, the door to her parent's bedroom opening a crack. Her father peeked through and, after seeing her, gave a wink before discreetly shutting the door again. Suddenly it all began making sense. And with logic putting everything into place, Lisa was able to begin playig along with what she quickly deduced to be a charade.

"You're...you're really him!" she said with faux surprise. "You're really real!"

"Yes, yes I am." Santa said. "And all of you really ought to be heading for bed."

"Aw, do we have to?" Lana groaned.

"If Santa says it's time for bed, then we should be going to bed." Lisa stated. "So let's be going, the sooner we get to sleep, the sooner we can wake up and open presents."

Santa chuckled warmly. "Precisely. But before you go up to bed Lisa, I'd like to have a word with you. You as well Lincoln."

Lisa and Lincoln remained downstairs while their other three siblings went up to bed. Lana and Lola lingered briefly at the top of the staircase to watch, but Santa loudly cleared his throat, letting them know that he was aware of them. They scampered off to their room, making the saint chuckle again. He then turned his attention to Lisa.

"I'd like to ask a favor of you Lisa Marie." He said while pointing out a somewhat large present by the tree. "That gift there is for Lily. But it does require some assembly. A clever young lady such as yourself should have no trouble with it at all. Would you be so kind as to put it together for your baby sister when she opens it in the morning?"

"Of course." Lisa replied. "I'd be delighted."

"Thank you. As for you Lincoln, step a bit closer please."

Lincoln timidly stepped closer. Santa knelt down and cupped one hand over the boy's ear, whispering to him. Lincoln's eyes widened and he gasped in surprise.

"Really?" he asked.

"Yes, really. So what do you think? Is it a good idea?"

"It's a great idea!" Lincoln answered, his voice rich with excitement.

"I'm glad that you think so. Now both of you should head upstairs."

Lincoln nodded. "Yes sir! Come on Lisa! Thanks Santa, Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you as well."

Lincoln took Lisa's hand and together they went upstairs. Santa waved them off and then stepped over to the door of the master bedroom, knocking on it gently. He heard the room's occupants invite him inside and he then opened the door.

"Rita? Lynn senior? Might I have a word with you?"

"Of course Santa, we're glad to have you." Lynn senior said, setting down his newspaper.

"And I'm happy to be here. You have a beautiful home and such wonderful children."

"Oh, why thank you!" Rita said with a blush.

"You are most welcome. Now I must be off, but I just want to let you know that I hope you enjoy the gifts I left for you as well as the goodies that I've tucked into your stockings. And of course I wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas."

"You too Santa." said Lynn senior. "Thanks again."

"Merry Christmas!" Rita said with a wave as Santa left, shutting the door behind him. "What a nice man. And to think that he even went to the trouble to have brought presents for us!"

"Well that's the 'Santa Experience' for you. You definitely get your money's worth. I'm just glad that they were able to send a Santa on such short notice."

Mr. Loud resumed reading his newspaper, picking up from where he left off. However his cell phone rang not even a minute later, interrupting him.

"Oh, who would be calling at this time of night?" he asked as he picked up the phone to answer. "Hello?...Yes, speaking. And who may I ask is this?...Oh, I see...uh-huh...oh, well that's a shame...I understand, thank you for letting me know...you too, have a good night."

"Who was that?" Rita asked after her husband had ended the call.

"Oh that was someone from the 'Santa Experience'. Apparently they had a scheduling conflict and couldn't send someone here after all."

"They WHAT?!"

"Don't worry honey. They said that they'd give us back our deposit."

"B-But, if they couldn't send someone, then who was that in our house just now?!"

Lynn senior blanched as he realized what his wife was saying. The two shared a panicked look, but before either of them could do anything they were suddenly startled by a commotion coming from upstairs. They got out of bed and rushed upstairs, finding the door to the twins' room open. Inside, Lincoln, Lucy, Lisa and the twins were all gathered around the window. Lincoln saw his parents and waved them over.

"Mom, Dad, you've got to see this!"

Mr. and Mrs. Loud joined their children around the window. The twins were practically squealing with delight while Lucy was staring intently through the glass. Lisa was staring with wide eyes and her mouth hanging open in shock. A look that her parents shared once they finally saw what it was that their children were all watching.

Off in the night sky was a flying red sleigh that was being pulled by eight flying reindeer. The sleigh turned and headed toward the house, getting close enough to be more clearly seen and then turned again to fly by across the backyard. The driver of the sleigh, the very same man that they had all just recently seen in their home, waved to them before his sleigh ascended to fly off into the night. But just as he left, he shouted

"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!"

END.


End file.
